Locally published books

MIDWAY TO HEAVEN, by Dean Hughes, Deseret Book, 225 pages, $19.95. The author of 80 LDS titles, Hughes writes "a lighthearted romp" about Ned Stevens' investigation of David Markham, a seemingly perfect young man his daughter is crazy about. It is a romantic comedy.

THE BRUCE R. McCONKIE STORY: REFLECTIONS OF A SON, by Joseph Fielding McConkie, Deseret Book, 454 pages, $25.95. A son of the late LDS apostle examines his father's life from the perspective of family and close friends, revealing Elder McConkie's humor, his discipline, his style as a father and husband, his suffering when he became ill and the depth of his faith.

THE PATH OF THE HUMAN BEING: ZEN TEACHINGS ON THE BODHISATTVA WAY, by Dennis Genpo Merzel, Shambhala, 236 pages, $21.95. The author is a well-known Zen teacher and the abbot of Kanzeon Zen Center in Utah who writes about meditation and how it can lead people to a better understanding of their own minds and the nature of human life.

SPIRITUAL THERAPY, by M. Jim Shelton, Archive Publishers, 146 pages, $11.95, softcover. The author, a clinical social worker, has used his experiences and study to argue that "the cause of depression among LDS people is perfectionism, excessive responsibility, neglecting our own needs and our sagging self-image."

SURPRISING MARCUS, by Donald S. Smurthwaite, Deseret Book, 150 pages, $12.95, softcover. The final volume of a trilogy that Smurthwaite started with "Fine Old High Priests" and continued with "A Wise, Blue Autumn." Marcus Hathaway, the central character, who is turning 75, examines a well-lived life.

HEALING SOULS: PSYCHOTHERAPY IN THE LATTER-DAY SAINT COMMUNITY, by Eric G. Swedin, University of Illinois Press, 241 pages, $34.95. A faculty member at Weber State University, Swedin writes a history of psychotherapy among Latter-day Saints, arguing that modern psychology has had an influence on "the healing of souls."

HORNED SNAKES AND AXLE GREASE: A ROADSIDE GUIDE TO THE ARCHAEOLOGY, HISTORY AND ROCK ART OF NINE MILE CANYON, by Jerry D. Spangler and Donna K. Spangler, Uintah Publishing, 187 pages, $16.95, softcover. Written by two Deseret Morning News journalists, this road guide introduces 85 sites that are found along the gravel road running the length of Nine Mile Canyon in Utah's redrock country.